Airship, aeroplane, or aerostat.



E. T. WILLOWS. AIRSHIP, AEROPLANE, OR AEROSTAT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1910;

1,061,434. 4 'Patent edMay 13,1913.

ERNEST THOMPSON WILL'ows, or qanmrr, ENGLAIID.

A IRSHI P, AEROPLANE, OR AEROSTAT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Emvns'r THOMPSON lViLLows, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing, at 2 Dumfries Place, Cardiff, England, have inventedcer- "tain new and useful Improvements Relating to Airships, Aeroplanes, or "Aerostats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air ships and has for its object. to provide means, simple in construction and convenient and effective in operation for maneuvering air ships or the like.

It. has before been proposed so to mount the axis of rotation of an aerial propeller thatit may be capable of angular movement or partial rotation in its own plane in order to effect. propulsion in any desired direction, but hitherto this has not been done in such manner as to permit. of convenient and ready operation and this is a particular objectof the present invention.

According-to the invention I mount the spindles to which the propellers aresecured in such manner as to be capable of a movement of partial rotation in the plane. of their axes and I carry each of the propeller spindles upon a tubular member or frame part through which a live axle passes by which the drive is communicated to the propeller spindles. a set of bevel or other gear wheels being advantageously provided to communicate movement from the end of the live axles to the respect-ive'propeller spin-' dles. while similarly the tubular member or frame-part is so' provided orv cutaway as to permit of the drive being communicated from the engine to the live axle referred to in such manner that thepartial movement of rotation is allowed to the tubular part without'interference with the driving-gear.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichlgure 1 1s a diagrammatic part-plan ,view of the'invent-ion applied to the frame of an airship. Fig. 2-is a longitudinal elevation corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view on an enlarged scale of the coupling of the transverse tubular members.-

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified arrange-- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 16, 1910. Serial No. 567,254.

. Patented Ma is, 1913.

inent of the transverse tubular member and the engine, and showing also a chain or belt drive.

In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner, as shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, in its application -to the frame'a of an airship which is connected to an aerost'at by any suitable means I provide at each end of the frame aa set of propellers b, a propeller being respectively mounted upon. the extremity of each propeller spindle 0. Each propeller spindle c is carried at the extremity of the tubular member or frame (Z which is snit'ably'mounted in the frame a 'of the machine. The member or frame may be composed of one continuous or two tubular members or frames at therespectiveextremities of which. the respective spindles a are carried advantageouslyin a central. position. and are rotated from a'corresponding live axle'e, carried within the tubular member 11, by means of bevel wheels 0 c. It is preferable that one of the bevel wheels 0 should be disposed upon the corresponding spindle in advance of the center-line or axis ofthe axle e while the other bevel wheel 0 is disposed to the rear of the said centerline. By this arrangement the tendency of the tubular member alto turn or rotate under. the influence of the power-transmitted through the bevel gear is overcome as the two extremities of the tubular member. tend to rotate in opposite directions. I may, however, mount the spindle c in .a plane above the central plane of the tube so as to balance the tendency to turn under the thrust of the bevel gear c by the forward thruston the propeller shaft 0 tending to turn the tube ain the opposite direction to the thrust on the bevel gear. The tubular member, or frame at referred to is interrupted. at that part d where thedri've is communicated to the 'l 1ve axle c contained in it, a connection be ng made by -means of one or more coupling members d which are so disposed as to permit to them a sweep or angular movement of about 180, more or less,.that is to say, such a movement that the coupling'or connectlng member (P will clear the driving shaft f,

driving chain or other suitable gear em-- be understood that I may use twopropellers ployed to impart movement the live axle or axles e. The latter' are at their oppositely disposed extremities provided with a bevel gear 6 which gears with a corresponding wheel a mounted upon the propeller shaft c-so that thus the drive is simultaneously communicated to propeller shafts at each side.

I advantageously provide the airship or aeroplane frame a with a central part upon which the engine 9 and the seat of the driver 18 mounted, and I provide an outwardly extending bracket or frame a on each side for the purpose of carrying. the tubular mem-.

'ber d carrying at its extremities the propeller shafts 0 referred to. For'the purpose of adjustingv the propellers in any. suitable position the joint or connecting member above referred to is connected to an operating member in a position convenient of ac-' cess to the driver, so that thus he may be able to rotatethe tubularmember in one direction or the other to the extent required according -to the position he requires the propellers to assume in maneuvering. Suitable gear for this purpose may consist ofa hand wheel It provided with a nut hf for communicating movement to the tubular member or frame part (2 referred-to. The rotation of the nut 72, by the wheel 72. causes 'a longitudinal movement of the rod i which is provided with a screw-thread to engage with the nut h. The'rod i is connected by a link 7' to a lug is formed on the tubular couplings d? or upon one of the tubular members d. The longitudinal movement of the rod 2' causes the angular movement of.

the couplings at and tubular members (1 and consequently the rotation of the propellers b about the axle e. a

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 th drive is transmitted by means of belts or chains from the engine which is disposed at the middle of the tubular member d, and the construction is such as to obviate the use of all bevel gearing. The tubular member d is in-two arts which are'connected together by a bradket or framin (i adapted to receive the engine 9 whic is securedin posit1on with its shaft transversely disposed to the member. d. The drive is taken direct from the engine to the spindles c by belts which may be crossed or open or chains f which pass around pulleys or chain wheels a mounted uponthe spindles c. A handle k or other suitable means such as a worm and wheel, isprovided by which the tubular member d together with the engine may be partially rotated for the adjustment of the position of'the propeller axes as may be desired, such rotation of the member d being limited only by the requirements of the working ofthe engine. It will however on each extremity of the tubular member 6 mounted on the front side or after side instead of only one as illustrated.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for propelling and ma- 7 neuvering 'airshi s and the like the combination comprising tubular members, means ing the position of the propellers.

" 2. In apparatus for propelling and ma-. neuvering airships and the like the combination comprismg two tubular members, a spherical member fixedly connecting together' the tubularmembers, driving spindles within said tubular members, gears connecting said 5 indles inclosed within said spherical fmem er, means for operating said 5 gears, casings mounted at the ends of said tubular members, propeller shafts within said casings, said propeller shafts being driven by the spindles, propellers on said shafts, and means for rotating the tubular 1 members for the purpose of adjusting the position of the propellers.

3. In apparatus for propelling and maneuvering'airships and the like the eon bina tion comp'rismg tubular members, a spherical: member connectin together the two tubular members, drivmg spindles within said tubular members, gears connecting said spindles, said gears being inclosed within said spherical member, means for driving the gears,' casings mounted at the ends of said tubular members, propeller shafts within said casings, bevel wheels between the propeller shafts and the spindles, the bevel wheels on opposite sides of the airship-being so disposed that the reactive forces set up by the bevel wheels when under power are balanced, propellers mounted on said propeller shafts, and means connected to the spherical member for varying the inclination of th propellers. 1

4. -In apparatus for propelling and maneuvering airships and the like the combination comprising two tubular members, a spherical, member connecting together; the tubular members, driving spindles wlthm said tubular members, gears connecting said spindles, said gears being inclosed within said spherical member, means for driving said' gears,ica's' mounted at the ends of said tubular mem rs, pro eller shafts withn said casin' bevel w eels .betweenthe propeller she and the spindles, said bevel reactive forces set up by the beyel Wheels Wheels being disposed in diametrically op- In testimony whereof I have hereunto posite positions in relation to the axis of the signed my name to this specification in the 10 spindles for the purpose of balancing the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

when 'under' power, propellers mounted 'on ERNEST QM W said propeller shafts, and means connected Witnesses: to the spherical member for simultaneously ALaER'r S. PHILLIPS, varying the inclination of the propellers. J on L. BEVA"|\T- 

